Youth Horizons | Kia Puāwai is proud to announce the launch of its new ingoa (name), tohu (emblem) and website.
The organisation has retired Youth Horizons from its name and will now be known as Kia Puāwai.
The name and new tohu supports and reflects the cultural transformation the organisation is currently undergoing.
Kia Puāwai, which provides culturally informed therapy and out of home care services for tamariki, rangatahi and whānau nationwide, launched its Waka Hourua strategy to staff a year ago.
The waka hourua concept, which is often used in the social service sectors, is inspired by the double-hulled ocean-going craft used by tāngata Māori to discover new land and to move between the many islands of Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa.
Symbolically it is about bringing together two groups of people and drawing equally on the skills, attributes and leadership of each to improve outcomes for communities.
The Waka Hourua strategy at Kia Puāwai involves many strands including enhancing the Māori and Pasifika cultural competency, world view and knowledge of its kaimahi. This is so that it can provide a more balanced approach to its service delivery.
CE Marion Heeney says the strategy underscores the organisation’s commitment to tamariki, rangatahi and whānau.
“The name and tohu embodies who we are, where we are heading and what we want to be. Kia Puāwai is transforming into a waka hourua where one hull is te ao Māori knowledge, the other te ao Tauiwi, which is Western and Pasifika knowledge. Both hulls are equal in size and importance, giving the waka stability and will serve us well into the future,” she says.
“This will not only be transformative for our services, but for our staff as well.”
Marion says the name, Kia Puāwai, has been part of the organisation for many years.
“Kia Puāwai is a taonga gifted to our organisation nearly two decades ago. It is derived from a tongikura, or saying, by Princess Te Puea Hērangi, a notable ariki and woman of influence. ‘I te ohonga ake o taku moemoeā,ko te puawaitanga o te whakaaro.’ This translates to ‘when I awaken from my sleep, my dreams shall be realised’.
In gifting the name, this whakataukī was also given: kia tupu, kia hua, kia puāwai – to grow, to flourish, to prosper, which is our new whakakitenga or vision statement. With our Waka Hourua journey, it is only fitting that we embrace these further.”
An important focus of Kia Puāwai over the past 15 years has been to embed the organisation’s four values of aroha, manaakitanga, whanaungatanga and wairuatanga into every layer of the organisation.
Board Chair Tony Kake says the organisation’s Waka Hourua journey will do this even more.
“Kia Puāwai has successfully been providing culturally responsive therapy services for many years, but we acknowledge we need to evolve,” he says. “Waka Hourua will bring to the fore the richness of Te Ao Māori and Te Ao Tau Iwi. We see this as an important step in being able to better serve our communities.”
The brand identity of Kia Puāwai consists of the following elements:
Our ingoa
Kia Puāwai - To Prosper
Our whakakitenga
Kia tupu, kia hua, kia puāwai - to grow, to flourish, to prosper
Our kaupapa
We believe our tamariki, rangatahi and their whānau deserve to thrive. We draw from te ao Māori and te ao Tauiwi knowledge to strengthen wellbeing, mana and wairua.
Our tikanga
Aroha, manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, wairuatanga
Our tohu
Designed by award-winning agency, Extended Whānau, the tohu is inspired by the pātiki (flounder) pattern which represents manaakitanga. Its directional energy is symbolic of growing, flourishing and prospering. It links to the Waka Hourua journey by representing the wake of a waka in motion and intersection points symbolise our use of both te ao Māori and te ao Tauiwi knowledge bases.
For more on Kia Puāwai click here.